The
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today
announced that Oak Wilt Protective Zones have been established in the
Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenwood Heights, Kings County; the Town of
Canandaigua, Ontario County; and all of Suffolk County. These zones are
the first line of defense in preventing the spread of oak wilt, a deadly
tree disease. Previously, DEC established Oak Wilt Protective Zones in
the towns of Glenville, Schenectady County, and Central Islip, Suffolk
County. The county-wide Protective Zone for Suffolk County replaces the
zone for Central Islip.

"Across
the country, oak wilt has killed tens of thousands of trees, resulting
in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and economic loss," said
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "New York is working strategically to
prevent such devastating losses of oak trees in our state where oak is a
widespread and valuable hardwood."

The
oak wilt fungus can spread from one oak to another even after the
infected tree has died and moving potentially infected oak firewood,
logs, and branch debris contributes to the spread of the disease. To
prevent this, the Oak Wilt Protective Zones prohibit the removal of any
living, dead, standing, cut, or fallen oak trees or any portion thereof,
including branches, logs, stumps, or roots, green oak lumber, and
firewood (of any species) out of the Protective Zone unless it has been
chipped to less than one inch in two dimensions.

Firewood,
no matter the species, is a regulated material because it is difficult
to distinguish oak from other species when cut into small pieces.
Non-oak wood leaving the Protective Zone must be 29 inches in length or
greater. In special circumstances, DEC will allow the movement of
unchipped oak wood from a Protective Zone through a special permit
issued by DEC's Division of Lands and Forests.

DEC
continues to monitor infection sites for signs that oak wilt has
spread. Testing for oak wilt must be conducted during the growing season
when the fungus is active. Intensive sampling will begin this summer in
June. Aerial surveys will begin in July when signs of oak wilt will be
most apparent.

DEC
is currently removing trees that have tested positive for the disease,
but the full scope of management activities will be adjusted based on
the extent of the infection sites. Isolated, small infection centers
will be treated with the goal of eliminating the disease from the area
while activities in larger infection centers will focus more on control
and limiting its spread.

In
addition to establishing the Protective Zones, management activities
may include removing and destroying infected trees, removing surrounding
un-infected oaks to create a buffer, trenching to sever root
connections between oaks, and treating infected stumps to kill the
roots.

Oak
wilt is a serious tree disease in the eastern United States, killing
thousands of oaks each year in forests, woodlots and home landscapes. It
is caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum. The fungus grows in
the water-conducting vessels of host trees plugging up these vessels and
preventing water transport. As water movement within the tree is
slowed, the leaves wilt and drop off, often killing the tree rapidly.

DEC
requests that the public be on the lookout this summer for oak trees
that suddenly lose their leaves during the months of July or August.
These occurrences should be reported to DEC's Forest Health Information
Line toll-free at 1-866-640-0652 or via email foresthealth@dec.ny.gov. Submitting pictures of oaks showing symptoms of oak wilt is encouraged.